Nursing unit for infant feeding



Dec. 1, 1964 H. J. SEARER NURSING UNIT FOR INFANT FEEDING Filed June 13,1962 7 I w W TT 9/ M M w a INVENTOR HAROLD J. SEARER ATTORNE Y5.

United States Patent Office 3,159,297 Patented Dec. 1, 1964 3,159,297NURSENG UNIT FOR INFANT FEEDBJG Harold J. Searer, 712 Palisades Drive,Akron, Ohio Filed June 13, 1962, Ser. No. 292,130 3 Claims. ((1. 215-41)The present invention relates to an improved nursing unit for use in thefeeding of edible fluids or liquids to infants. More particularly, theinvention relates to a nursing unit comprising a bottle or container andan improved nipple for selective insertion into an opening of the bottleand having a novel construction for secure attachment of the nipple influid sealing relation with the specially constructed bottle.

The improved edible fluid bottle according to the invention is intendedto be disposable after being emptied. For example, a mother could use astandard pro-mixed baby formula packaged in the bottle. In the event oftravel, the same standard formula could be available at a drug store orfood store. The bottle and the nipple could be wrapped, eitherintegrally or separately, in a sterile manner so that they would bereadily available for use in infant feeding. Alternatively, quantitiesof premixed formula could be purchased by the mother in the bottles foruse at home and for easy carrying and use while traveling.

These and other advantages of the invention, as well as the objectsthereof, will be apparent in view of the following disclosure and theattached drawing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially cut away to show details of animproved nipple according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section through a nursing unit according to the inventioncomprising the nipple of FIG. 1 and an improved bottle; and

FIG. 3 is another section showing a squeezable bottle with the improvednipple inserted therein.

The nursing unit according to the invention comprises a bottle having anopening and an inturned anchoring bead formed as an integral portion ofthe bottle or container. The anchoring bead coaxially surrounds theopening and seats a nipple manually inserted into the opening prior touse for infant feeding. The nipple has an outer or upper fluiddispensing portion and is provided with an annular rib seating on thebottle surface around the opening. Beneath the rib, the bottle has anannular pocket for receiving the anchoring head in fluid-tight andsealing relation.

Referring to the drawing, the bottle or container for holding the ediblefluids or liquids is indicated generally at 10. The bottle N is filledand emptied through a preferably annular or circular opening. The bottleopening may be closed after filling and before insertion of the improvednipple by a suitable cover (not shown), such as a container adherent andfluid-tight tape or strip.

Around the bottle opening, the inside surface has an inturned orinwardly projecting bulb or tear shaped circumferential anchoring bead12 for holding the improved nipple in fluid-sealing relation. The bead12 is formed integrally with the bottle surface adjacent the opening andpreferably defines the smallest diameter thereof.

The bottle it may be manufactured from any durable and corrosionresistant material with one or more interconnecting fluid-holdingcomponents, so long as such material can be shaped or molded with theopening and the integral bead 12.

The improved nipple for insertion into the opening of the bottle and insealing engagement with the anchoring bead 12 is indicated at 15. Thenipple 15 is formed of a suitable resilient, elastic rubber orrubber-like material as a one-piece molded or formed article. The closedupper or outer end, of somewhat bulbous shape, constitutes a mouthpiece16. The mouthpiece 16 has one or more preferably axially disposeddelivery apertures 17 of small diameter through which edible liquid iswithdrawn from the container 10 by suction applied externally to themouthpiece 16, as is Well understood.

Inwardly of the mouthpiece 16, the nipple 15 has a tubular axialextension or body portion 18 terminating at its lower or inner end in adownwardly and outwardly rounded breast portion 19. The lower or innerend of the breast portion terminates in a thickened annular rib 20having a diameter substantially greater than the diameter of thecontainer opening.

inwardly or beneath the large diameter rib 20, the nipple has a circularpocket, indicated at 22, for sealing engagement with the bead 12 of thecontainer. The upper and inner portion of the bead pocket 22 is definedby a sharply and concavely downwardly and inwardly curved surface 23.The lower portion of the pocket 22 is defined by a narrow flat annularsurface 24 which intersects the base of the curved surface 23 atapproximately a right angle or just slightly less. The width or diameterof the flat surface 24 will be substantially the same as the diameter ofthe innermost portion of the inturned container bead 12. The radiallyoutward portion or outer side of the pocket 22 is defined by the innerwall of a resilient flange 25 which is intersected by the outer edge ofthe flat surface 24. The upwardly directed inner wall 26 of theresilient flange terminates below the rib 20 at a height or distancesuflicient to provide a circular throat 27 for insertion of thecontainer head 12 into the pocket 22. During manufacture of the nipple15, the forming mold is appropriately shaped or profiled so that theflange 25 Will normally be slightly biased toward the curved insidepocket surface 23.

The outer wall 28 of the resilient flange 25 extends below the plane ofthe lower pocket surface 24 and intersects a relatively thincircumferential flange 29 which extends radially outwardly to a maximumdiameter substantially greater than the diameter of any of the nippleportions described above.

Within the nipple 15, the lower or base end of the hollow passage forfluid flow from the bottle 10 to the mouthpiece 16, preferably has anenlarged diameter chamber 30. The enlarged chamber 39 in the base of thenipple is preferred to facilitate the momentary distortion ordeformation during insertion of the nipple into the bottle opening.

A preferred material for construction of the bottle 10 is a deformableplastic material such as blow-molded polyethylene or polypropylene. Abottle of this material is squeezable, virtually breakproof and may bemanufactured in quantity at low cost. Referring to FIG. 3, when asqueezable bottle is deformed during the nursing use, it has been foundthat the relatively wide but thin flange 29 will increase the rigidityof the nipple against an outward thrust and maintain the sealingengagement of the container bead 12 within the confines provided by thesurfaces of nipple pocket 22.

While a preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, itwill be apparent that slight modifications could be made therein withoutdeparture from the true scope of the invention as expressed in theclaims.

What is claimed is:

l. A nursing unit comprising; a disposable unitary con tainer having aninterior compartment adapted to contain edible fluids, an opening in thetop of said container communicating with said interior compartment, ananchor head at the periphery of said opening and integral with saidcontainer, said anchor bead being curved downwardly and inwardly intosaid interior compartment of said container, a nipple inserted in saidcontainer opening in fluid-tight sealing relation, a closed upper end insaid nipple forming a mouthpiece portion and having at least one fluiddelivery aperture therein, a tubular body portion extending downwardlyfrom said mouthpiece portion, a downwardly and outwardly rounded breastportion adjoining'said" tubularbody portion, a thicken'edannular ribportion terminating saidv rounded breast portion and havinga diametersubstantially greater than the greatest width of said container opening,a downwardly extending, resilient circular nipple throat portionadjoining said thickened' annular rib portion radially inwardly thereofand having' an interior fluid passage communicating with said nipplemouthpiece portion and said container compartinent, said'throat portionhaving a concavely downwardly and inwardly curved radially outer surfaceresiliently biased radially outwardly into sealing engagement with saidcontainer anchord head at said container opening, and a circular nippleretainingisurface terminating said concavely'curvedsurface'and abuttingthe lowermost surface of: said container anchor bead to resist axialwith drawal of said nipple from said container.

2. A nursing unit comprising; a bottle said bottle having acircular-opening for filling and emptying and an inturned. axiallydownwardly directed bulb-shaped anchoring bead (12) extendingcircumferentially around said opening, and anipple (1'5) said nipplehaving a closed upper end forming a mouthpiece (16),.an axially directedtubular body portion (18), a rounded breast portion (19),

the lower. endv of said breast portionv terminating in a thickenedannular rib (20) havinga diameter substantially greater than thediameter of said bottle opening, said nipple further having axiallybeneath said rib a" circular pocket (22) for sealing engagement with theanchoring bead of said bottle opening, the axially upper and radiallyinner. portion of said pocket being defined by a sharplyand. concavelydownwardly, and inwardly curved surface (23),.the lower portion of saidpocket being defined by,

a narrow fiat annular surface (24)", and the radially outer portion. ofsaid pocket being defined by; the inner wall (26) of aresilient flangesaid innerwall terminating below said annular ribto provide a circularthroat (27) for insertion of said bottle opening anchoring bead intosaid circular pocket.

3. A nursing nipple for a'squeezable bottle comprising; a closed upperend forming a mouthpiece portion (16), a tubular body portion (18)extending axially downwardly from said mouthpiece portion, a roundedbreast portion (19) joining said tubular body portion at the lower endthereof, a thickened annular rib (20) terminating said rounded breastportion at the lower end thereof, a sharply and concavely downwardly andinwardly curved surface (23) joining said annular rib axially below andradially inwardly from the radially outer extremities thereof, a narrowflat annular surface (24) intersecting the'bas e of said curved surface,a circular resilient flange (25) having an upwardly directed innerflange wall (26) intersecting the radially outer edge of said flatsurface and terminating axially beneath said annular rib, said curvedsurface; flat surface and inner flange wall defining a circular pocket(22) having a diameter smaller than the diameter of said annular rib, anouter flange wall (28) on said circular resilient flange extendingaxially below the plane of said flat annular surface, and a relativelythin circumferential flange (29]) intersecting said outer flange walland extending radially outwardly to a diameter substantially greaterthan the diameter of the other of said nipple por tions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,130 9/37Kurkjian 128--252 2,628,616 2/53 Ransom 128-252 2,741,396 4/56 Lobl215-11 2,796,062 6/57 Topper.

2,926,805 1/60 Mead 21511 2,942,746 6/60 Porthouse et a1. 2l5--113,080,993 3/63 Livingstone 220- THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

EARLE I. DRUMMOND, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 159297 December l 1964 Harold Jo Searer It is hereby certified that errorappears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that thesaid Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3 line 16 for "anchord" read anchor Signed and sealed this 27thday of April 1965 (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Altcsting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. A NURSING UNIT COMPRISING; A DISPOSABLE UNITARY CONTAINER HAVING ANINTERIOR COMPARTMENT ADAPTED TO CONTAIN EDIBLE FLUIDS, AN OPENING IN THETOP OF SAID CONTAINER COMMUNICATING WITH SAID INTERIOR COMPARTMENT, ANANCHOR BEAD AT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID OPENING AND INTEGRAL WITH SAIDCONTAINER, SAID ANCHOR BEAD BEING CURVED DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY INTOSAID INTERIOR COMPARTMENT OF SAID CONTAINER, A NIPPLE INSERTED IN SAIDCONTAINER OPENING IN FLUID-TIGHT SEALING RELATION, A CLOSED UPPER END INSAID NIPPLE FORMING A MOUTHPIECE PORTION AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE FLUIDDELIVERY APERTURE THEREIN, A TUBULAR BODY PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLYFROM SAID MOUTHPIECE PORTION, A DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY ROUNDED BREASTPORTION ADJOINING SAID TUBULAR BODY PORTION, A THICKENED ANNULAR RIBPORTION TERMINATING SAID ROUNDED BREAST PORTION AND HAVING A DIAMETERSUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE GREATEST WIDTH OF SAID CONTAINER OPENING,A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING RESILIENT CIRCULAR NIPPLE THROAT PORTIONADJOINING SAID THICKENED ANNULAR RIB PORTION RADIALLY INWARDLY THEREOFAND HAVING AN INTERIOR FLUID PASSAGE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID NIPPLEMOUTHPIECE PORTION AND SAID CONTAINER COMPARTMENT, SAID THROAT PORTIONHAVING A CONCAVELY DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY CURVED RADIALLY OUTER SURFACERESILIENTLY BIASED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAIDCONTAINER ANCHOR BEAD AT SAID CONTAINER OPENING, AND A CIRCULAR NIPPLERETAINING SURFACE TERMINATING SAID CONCAVELY CURVED SURFACE AND ABUTTINGTHE LOWERMOST SURFACE OF SAID CONTAINER ANCHOR BEAD TO RESIST AXIALWITHDRAWAL OF SAID NIPPLE FROM SAID CONTAINER.